The organisers of the European Capital of Culture - Esch2022 project have announced the launch of a cooperation with French company "KompleX KapharnaüM".
KompleX KapharnaüM is known for its eclecticism: its unique approach to telling a story via multimedia, revealing the portrait of a place and implementing a scenic representation of public space. The Esch2022 region is at the heart of its current project, which will take shape step by step, over the course of several residencies until 2022. The company will create a digital fresco of the place, resulting from audiovisual projections.
From 30 November to 4 December 2020, at 120 Rue de l'Alzette in Esch-sur-Alzette, visitors will be able to participate live (through an "Open Window") in the process of creating their work. A mediator will be on site to answer visitors' questions. The audience will also have the opportunity to contribute to the development of this creative process by interacting with the artists during live sessions on Facebook and Instagram.
"Remix Culture", the theme of Esch2022, constitutes the thematic basis of this collaboration with KompleX KapharnaüM. Upstream of a series of restitutions that will take place as part of Esch2022, the company will gather materials and explore the region. These “metaphorical excavations” will result in performances, projections (e.g. architectural scenographies) and musical performances or sound installations. In the form of a sensitive reading of the city, on the border between the fields of fiction and documentary, the actions of the artists aim to renew the use of public space and to allow residents to "reclaim" it.
The artists will be working in close cooperation with researchers from the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH) of the University of Luxembourg, the Centre National de l'Audiovisuel and the archives of the municipality of Dudelange. Residents and witnesses of the time encountered by artists during the creative phase are also considered to be an essential source of information. The "mix" of archive images, portraits, landscapes, machines and street names creates something new. In addition, new memories can be added to old ones. "
The "Open Window" is considered the first step in getting to know Esch-sur-Alzette, its history and its inhabitants, in the form of a digital residency. The multidisciplinary company will take stock of the development of its work, live by video from Villeurbanne in France.
During this project, historians from the C2DH will be called upon to integrate their knowledge of the history of the region. Spectators and residents will also be invited to participate in this project, sharing their feedback, ideas and thoughts on the KompleX KapharnaüM social media pages.
During the live broadcast of "Open Window" in downtown Esch-sur-Alzette, viewers will also have the opportunity to follow the broadcast on www.live.kxkm.net.
